About the Black Wood Pigeon
The black wood pigeon or Japanese wood pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in East Asia, occurring mainly on offshore islands of the Pacific's Korea Strait, Philippine Sea and East China Sea around Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The species is in decline owing to habitat loss, habitat degradation, deforestation and hunting. This wood pigeon is endemic to laurel forest habitat.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The black wood pigeon is the largest East Asian representative of the genus Columba; with a weight of around 550 g (19 oz) and an overall length of 37–43.5 cm (14.6–17.1 in), it is on average only slightly smaller than the 41–45 cm (16–18 in) common wood pigeon of Europe and western Asia. The head is small. There are three subspecies of Columba janthina, with some plumage differences. It is very dark in appearance, with a small head, a longish neck and tail. Overall the body is soot-black with iridescent green or purple on crown, shoulders and sides of neck.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Mongolia.
When to see it
Peak activity in May · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Eastern Bronze-naped PigeonColumba delegorgueiThe eastern bronze-naped pigeon, also known as Delegorgue's pigeon, is a species of bird in the family Columbidae.
Afep PigeonColumba unicinctaThe afep pigeon is 35–36 cm (13.8–14.2 in) length and weighs between 356–490 g (12.6–17.3 oz).
Sri Lanka Wood PigeonColumba torringtoniaeThe Sri Lankan wood pigeon or Ceylon wood pigeon is a pigeon which is an endemic resident breeding bird in the mountains of Sri Lanka.
Learn the Black Wood Pigeon for real
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